Top 5 Blaxploitation Soundtracks
by Adrian Younge
You really can’t talk about funk and soul music without paying homage to the era of blaxploitation, the cult film genre that swept into Black communities beginning in the early 70s, typically characterized by a Black protagonist from the ghetto, fighting some amorphous representation of “whitey” through martial arts, country western style gun fights, comedy, and of course through the unique musical compositions that went with the action. The soundtrack for these films sometimes surpassed the popularity of the films themselves, and are still revered today as the ultimate music to define a very unique period of funk and soul where cinematic orchestration, a plethora of wah-wahs, deep resonating bass, and funky beats were most prevalent. We called on psychedelic cinematic soul composer/musician Adrian Younge, who scored and edited Black Dynamite, the 2009 critically acclaimed parody film to break down his Top 5 Blaxploitation Soundtracks. Here’s what he gave us. Take some notes…
Adrian Younge
1. Superfly, Curtis Mayfield: This is a timeless piece of work that transcends the era. The instrumentation alone is arguably the beginning of modern black gangster music. The thick bass lines and the driving lyrics definitely served as an inspiration for to my score for the movie Black Dynamite.
2. Black Caesar, James Brown: James Brown was still in his prime when this soundtrack was created. The pocket is ridiculous and the grooves have been sampled by many. Surprisingly, one of my favorite songs from this soundtrack is the funeral song for Black Ceasar’s dead mother. The earnest lyrics, sang by James, inspired the composition of “Jimmy’s Dead,” from the Black Dynamite score.
3. Across 110th Street, Bobby Womack: One of the best blaxploitation theme songs ever. It is extremely funky and real. If The Bomb Squad were making beats in the ‘70s, this would have been their style.
4. The Mack, Willie Hutch: The slow song, “I Choose You,” is one of the best blaxploitation slow songs ever. If you haven’t seen The Mack, you should watch it to see how this song is actually used.
5. Sweet Sweetback’s Baadassss Song, Melvin Van Peebles/Earth, Wind & Fire: This is a great soundtrack and arguably the first Blaxploitation soundtrack. A young Earth, Wind & Fire played on this album. I truly appreciate this soundtrack because it was recorded very raw and creatively used in the movie. A must have for any blaxploitation fan.